Built-up pressed-steel truck-frame



C. T. SCHOEN.

BUILT-UP PRBssED STEEL TRUCK FRAME 3 Sheets-Sheet 1.

(110 Model.)

No. 553,431. Patented Jam 21, 1896.

(No Model.) 3, Sheets-Sheet 3.

C. T. SGHOEN. BUILT-UP PRESSED STEEL TRUCK FRAME. No. 553.431. Patented Jan.. 21, 1896.

UNITED STATES' PATENT OFFICE.

CHARLES T. SCIIOEN, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

BUILT-UP PRESSED-STEEL TRUCK-FRAM E.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 553,431, dated January 21, 1896.

Application iiled October 24, 1895. Serial No. 566,772. (No model.)

. To a/ZZ whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, CHARLES T. SCHOEN, a citizen. of the United States, residing at Philadelphia, in the county of Philadelphia and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Built-Up Pressed-Steel Truck-Frames, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

The object of this invention is to provide a light but strong 'metallic truck-frame for railway-cars. In contradistinction to those frames in which each side is struck up as one piece from steel plate, my sides are each made or built up of a number of pieces which are riveted or bolted together;- and as distinguished from those sides which are constructed of a number of pieces united by bolts and formed of wrought metalas for example,the well-known diamond frame-I use in my construction pressed steel, iianged to increase its rigidity, as will be described.

rlhe invention consists in certain features of construction of the upper and lower chords of the sides of the frames, the pedestals, the

`transoms, and the transom connections with the sides, all as I will proceed now more particularly to set forth and iinally claim.

In the accompanying drawings, illustrating my invention, in the several iigures of which like parts are similarly designated, Figure l is a top plan view of a truck constructed in accordance with my invention. Fig. 2 is a side elevation, omitting the right-hand axle, j ournal-box, and wheel of truck. Fig. 3 is an end elevation. Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the connection-plate for the transom and side. Figs. 5 and 6 are perspective views of the chafing-plates for the pedestals. Fig. 7 is a horizontal cross-section through the transom at 7 '7, Fig. 3, looking towardl the top. Fig. S is a perspective view of the spring-cap. Figs. 9 and 10 are respectively cross-sections taken transversely and longitudinally, relatively to the frame, of the spring-caps and their adjacent parts. Fig. 11 is a longitudinalsection of one of the struts. Fig. 12 is a side view showing modifications in the pedestals. Figs. 13 and 14 are perspective views of a bracket and a spring-cap used in Fig. 12.

The axles a, wheels cd, journal-boxes a2, and springs a3, may be as-usual, and need no description.

The sides of the frame are composed of a top or compression member or chord h, con- A structed as a channel, preferably of pressed steel, and having its iianges b' standing outwardly. This chord is bent at its ends to form the outer portions b2 of the pedestals, said ends being prolonged somewhat below the level of the lower or tension member or chord c. The chord c has its ends turned up at c to meet the upper chord, and then turned horizontally at c2 to extend beneath and parallel with the upper chord, and then the terminals are returned at c3 to iit against the ends b2 of the upper chord, to which they are riveted at c4, and thereby stiften such corner. In order to stiften the sides the skeleton and channeled pressed-steel spacing-plates or struts d (see Figs. 2 and ll) are interposed between them and riveted to them substantially as indicated, the channel form of these struts being indicated by the dotted lines in Fig. l and shown in detail, Fig. 11. These struts are blanked out with a central opening for economy in metal and weight.

The pedestals are provided with the chat'- ing-plates e and f, made of steel, and with the side flanges ef to embrace adjacent edges of the pedestal. I prefer to construct them with a spring-temper and set them while forming so as to approach each other, as at the right, Fig. 2.A lVhen thus constructed, the journalbox must be forced to place against the elasticity of the chating-plates, and these chaingplates, therefore, serve to center the box and act as friction-plates for it,and they also serve to cushion the blow or concussion received in turning curves and by reason of uneven or rough tracks. The iianges of the chaiingplates receive the usual anges or side lugs of the j ournal-boxes. The chafing-plate e has the bolt-hole e2 and the chaiing-platef has the return f2, in which is the bolt-holef3, and these plates are secured in place and the bottoms of the pedestals closed by the straps g and the bolts h and ci, which bolts respectively extend through the ends b2 of the upper chord and the bottom portion of the lower chord and the bolt-holes 'e2 and f3. The straps g further serve to tie the ends b2 to the lower chord c, and they may be readily removed for access to and removal of the journal-boxes.

The springs a3 are provided with pressed- IOO steel caps 7a having the swells 7c to embrace the sides of the portion c2 of the lower chord, and thus hold themselves, the said caps, in

place against lateral displacement, and they are further extended toward the inner side of the pedestal, as at 7a2, Figs. land 9, and bear against the portion c' to prevent displacement longitudinally of the sides. A hole los is made in each cap for clearance of the rivet used to unite the chords at that point.

Instead of a bolster, which is unnecessary in the class of trucksin which the springs are arranged over the j ournal-boxes, there is employed a transom rigidly secured to the sides of the frames, and the transom which I prefer to employ is composed of two pressedsteel channel-beams Z l, the flanges of which face `one another, and these channels are riveted to the lower chords and to the struts, and are 'connected to the upper chords by connection-plates m of pressed steel. These plates are applied to opposite ends 'of the transom, and are made with side flanges m, which embrace 'the sides of the transom, and thence the plates ext-end like the outline of a letter Y with rise m2 and a horizontal flange m3, the body of each plate and its rise being reinforced by a swell m4. The flange m3 is notched at m5 m5, so as to pass beneathV the upper chord and about the struts, and the two end porti-ons of the said flange are depressed, so as to pass beneath the upper flanges of the struts,while the intermediate portion extends beneath the upper chord. The body portions of the connections are riveted to the transom, and their horizontal flanges are riveted to the upper chords and their rises abut against the sides, and thus a very stiff, rigid and secure union of the transom and sides is effected.

The transom is braced internally, at the point where y the king-bolt or center-pin is used, by the flanged tie-plates n riveted thereto and having the inwardly embossed portions n fn', which Aserve as a socket for the kin g-bolt or center-pin. These tie-plates are flanged at their tops 91,2, as shown in Figs. 3 and 7, in orde-r to afford a broad bearing, and at their sides n3 for purposes of riveting to the channel-beams. The tie-plates vmay be of pressed steel.

The'center bearing-plate o may be mounted upon a spacing-plate p, as in my Patent No. 537,076, dated April 9, 1895.

Referring now to Figs. l2, 13, and li, which illustrate avariation or `modication coming, among others, within the scope of my invention, it will be'observed that the construction may be modified in the following particulars The tie-plate g may be secu-red at its outer end to the outer member of the upper chord by a bolt 71, as before described, while its inner Vend is secured to a metallic vbracket rby a bolt or other suitable fastening r', the said metallic vbracket being riveted solidly to the lower chord. In this way the strain of the bolt upon the lower chord and injury to the bolt, which may take place with the construction first described, are avoided. The bracket rr may be struck up with side and end flanges. (See Fig. 13.)

In order to provide for the use of a heavy spring above the journal-box, the upper chord may be bulged out, as at s, and in such case the circular spring-cap X, such as shown in Fig. 14, may be used, and the pedestal may be adapted thus for use with standard journalboxes.

ln both modifications the pedestals are formed of the compression and tension members, or upper and lower chords of the side.

ln the form of pedestal shown in Fig. l2 the ohafing-plates e and eX may be flanged, as in Fig. 5, but it is obvious that the form of chafing-plate shown in Fig. 6 will not be required, and that in its stead a straight chafing-plate, such as is shown in Fig. 5, may be used for both sides of the pedestal, and both of said Vchaling-plates will be secured in position by the bolts h and r', which are used to hold the tie-plate in position.

A car-truck constructed as described embodies the preferred form of my invention, but it is obvious that the Adetails may be varied, and that various combinations of the several elements or features of the invention may be employed. Moreover, while l prefer to die-press or stamp the parts from platesteel because of its strength, stiffness, and lightness, yet l do not limit my invention to the use of that metal.

Some of the advantages of my invention are as follows:

First. As compared with asolid side frame, made of a single piece of plate-steel pressed to shape, it is to be noted that the compression and tension members, or upper and lower chords, in which the greater strength is required, may be made of any required thickness of metal to attain such strength, while the filling or intermediate portion-namely, that 'which l call the struts-1nay be of much lighter material and in skeleton form, and

'still subserve all the purposes of strength,

thereby effecting a very considerable yeconomy in cost of construction, weight of metal, and in repairs-over such solid sides where the thickness of metal is uniform throughout.

Second. In order to form the pedestals in the solid sides, it is necessary to use special rolled shapes, which are very expensive, whereas l form the pedestals by interbending the chords, a `construction quite as efficient as the former and very much cheaper.

Third. In practice it is possible to construct a perfectly strong and durable side by making its bottom chord of five eighths -inch metal, i-ts top chord of one-half-inch metal, and the connecting-struts of five-sixteenthsinch meta-l, instead of metal of the same thickness in all, and this example will illustrate the considerable reduction in cost in favor of my construction.

Fourth By the utilization of the tie-plates to form the king-bolt socket l avoid the IOO IIO

necessity of using the commonly-employed cast tie-plate below the transom.

IVhat I claim isl. A builtup side frame for car-trucks, comprisingindividual upper and lower chords having their ends returned and united and riveted together to form the pedestals, substantially as described.

2. A built-up side frame for car-trucks, comprising a compression member having its ends turned down to form the outer portions or sides of the pedestals, and a separate tension member having its ends bent up to meet the compression member at points distant from its bent ends sufficient to form the inner portions or sides of the pedestals, and then bent parallel to the horizontal portion of the compression member and again returned about the corners of the bent ends of the compression member and riveted to it, substantially as described.

3. A built-up side frame for car-trucks, comprising a compression member, and a separate tension member, suitably spaced and having their ends inter-bent to form the pedestals and riveted together, substantially as described.

4. A built-up side frame for car-trucks, comprising` a Iianged compression member, and a separate tension member, the ends of such members being bent about and riveted to one another to form pedestals, substantially as described.

5. A built-up side frame for car-trucks, comprising a compression member, a tension member, pedestals integral therewith, and skeleton struts interposed between the said members and secured to them, substantially as described.

G. A car-truck frame comprising built-up sides, each having a compression member, and a tension member, and a transom resting upon and secured to the tension member, and connection plates interposed between the transom and the compression member and rigidly secured thereto, substantially as described.

7. The combination with the sides and the transom, of the connection plates, each having a body portion secured to the transom, a rise abutting against the side, and ahorizontal flange secured to the upper portion of the side next adjacent thereto, substantially as described.

8. The combination with the sides, each comprising compression and tension members, and struts interposed between and rigidly secured to them, of a transom secured directly to the tension member and the adjacent anges of the struts, and connection plates bracing and uniting the transom and compression member, substantially as described.

9. In a car-truck frame, the combination with the pedestals, of the' spring tempered chang plates set in their manufacture to stand away from the sides of the pedestal, substantially as described.

10. In a car-truck frame, the combination with the separate compression and tension members riveted together, the pedestals, and a detachable strap applied across the open end of each pedestal, substantially as described.

l1. In a car-truck frame, the compression member and the separate tension member havingtheir ends bent about one another to form the pedestals and riveted together, and removable straps connecting the ends of the compression member with the tension member and closing the bottoms of the pedestals, substantially as described.

l2. In a car-truck frame, the bolster having tie-braces therein provided with inwardlyextended embossments forming a socket for the king-bolt or center-pin, substantially as described.

13. The combination of the built-up pressed steel sides, composed of compression and tension members having their ends bent to form pedestals, hanged, skeleton struts interposed between and uniting such members, and extending along the inner adjacent sides of the pedestals, a transom secured directly to the tension member and struts, and connection plates uniting the transom and compression member, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand this 22d day of October, A. D. 1895.

CHARLES T. SCHOEN. Vitnesses GEORGE MGCURDY, JOHN ANDERSON. 

